


Maledictus

by Art3misiA



Series: Love Fest 2021 works [1]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fairest of the Rare's Love Fest 2021, Gen, Nagini's backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:22:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29308731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Art3misiA/pseuds/Art3misiA
Summary: Not everyone is a monster of their own making. Sometimes, fate is inevitable.
Series: Love Fest 2021 works [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2152686
Comments: 8
Kudos: 4
Collections: Love Fest 2021





	Maledictus

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anne_ammons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anne_ammons/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Enemies of the Heir, Beware](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29272740) by [anne_ammons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anne_ammons/pseuds/anne_ammons). 



> Written for #LoveFest2021, hosted by The Fairest of the Rare.
> 
> For anne_ammons, because her fantastic story about the Basilisk got me thinking about Nagini and what her life might have been like before she met Voldemort.
> 
> I know this is completely left field from the direction her story took, but, well... this is what the muse wanted. Sorry, but also not sorry.

She couldn’t recall her early life; her childhood. Vague half-images that might have been memories - or imaginings - showed a small village and a square house made of mud and sticks. Children playing games, smiling adults going about their day.

But all that was in the past, if it was even real and not just a falsehood.

Nagini’s first real memory was of being alone and frightened; cold and hungry. There was something inside her, a curse. It made her into an abomination - into a girl who was sometimes a fearsome serpent. The thing that plagued her was the reason for her exile, she was certain. She did not know exactly when she came to be alone, nor how long she wandered, but one night she came across a small inn.

It emanated light and warmth; but more importantly, she could smell food. The small luxuries of which she had been deprived for so long were like a siren’s call - she was powerless to resist, despite the danger. Her stomach growled loudly, urging her forward, her small, malnourished body shivering in the cold.

The wife of the innkeeper took pity on her. Poor waif, she said. The woman gave Nagini a bowl of hot soup and some bread, then ushered her into a chair by the fire. Warm and with a full belly for the first time since who knows when, the small child fell asleep.

When she woke, the main room of the inn was dark. The fire had burned down to embers, providing only a dim light, and there was once again a chill in the air, but that wasn’t what had disturbed her slumber. There was a shadowy figure hovering over her, _pawing_ at her, tugging at the buttons of her tattered _kabaya._ His breath was sour with beer.

Realising she had stirred, the man said something in English and continued to fumble at her clothing _._ When she tried to push his hands away, he stood upright and gestured in front of his chest. In the gloom, she could just make out the pantomime - crude cupping and squeezing movements. Then he pointed at her. At her chest.

The man wanted to see her breasts, and probably more than that. She clutched the fabric in her fists and shook her head. In response, he fished into a pocket and withdrew a coin, holding it up so it glinted in the light. Then he pointed to her chest again. Nagini eyed the coin for a moment. It would buy her food for several days - _if_ he kept his word and gave her the money after he did whatever it is he wanted to do to her young, pre-adolescent body. But she couldn’t trust that he would. Men were beasts, dangerous. This she had learned quickly once she found herself alone. Once again, she shook her head.

The man said something in anger and lunged for her, attempting to tear her _kebaya_ apart. Nagini opened her mouth to scream, and the man let go of her with one hand to strike her hard across the face, then resumed his assault.

The hissing started up in her head. She tried to hold it down, to restrain it, but the force inside her was too powerful. Her body contorted and twisted as her serpentine sister roared into being. The man stumbled back, falling on his backside, a strangled scream issuing from his throat. Nagini watched, helpless, from behind the diamond eyes of her serpentine sister as she coiled, rose, and finally struck.

***

After she had killed the man who attempted to violate her, Nagini fled, but not before emptying his pockets. Terrified as she was, she wasn’t stupid. She needed money, and besides, it wasn’t like the man’s rapidly cooling corpse was capable of spending it.

She walked and ran for days, not daring to stop, fearful she would be caught. If she were caught, she would be arrested. If she was arrested, she would surely be charged with murder, and likely tried as a witch, besides. The penalties for murder and witchcraft were the same - death. They would not care that she was just a homeless girl on the cusp of puberty. She would stand before the firing squad alongside all the other criminals, and her short life would be snuffed out.

Cursed as she was, Nagini had no desire to meet death. She feared her serpentine sister, but the instinct to survive was stronger. It was this instinct that drove her to press onward after the incident, allowing her to ignore her exhaustion, pain, and hunger. Finally, however, her body could take no more. She collapsed near the edge of a village, half-concealed in the large, leafy bushes that bordered the area. Her last thought before she floated away was _serpent sister, please protect us both._

The dash of cold water snapped Nagini awake. She tried to get up, but found herself too drained to move, despite the shock of cool liquid on her skin. Instead, she blinked slowly and tried to focus on the man holding the bucket. He was fat, with brown hair and thick, wavy whiskers that covered his cheeks and chin. She glanced at his clothing; he was finely dressed, in silks and rich cotton, with a gold chain stretched across his giant belly.

He asked her something in English, but not understanding, she just stared at him fearfully. The man regarded her for a moment then turned to look behind him, calling out to somebody and gesturing them forward. Soon, a man who looked to be local came running over.

The newcomer looked at her and shook his head slowly. _“Ai, ai, ai,”_ he said. _“Little flower, you are far from home, yes?”_

Nagini was so relieved to hear a kind voice, speaking in a language she understood, that she began to sob softly. _“Please do not let the fat man hurt me,”_ she said.

_“Do not fear, flower,”_ the man said. _“My name is Bayu. This white man is called Skender, and if you work hard, he will take good care of you.”_

She wanted to trust the one who called himself Bayu - how she longed to be safe and taken care of! - but he clearly worked for this man _Sken Der,_ a colonial. A rich colonial. Still, she was too weak to run or fight. For now, she would take her chances. Regain her strength, watch and wait. Escape if she had to. 

_“Please do not hurt me,”_ Nagini pleaded again. 

Bayu smiled at her, revealing several missing teeth. _“You will be safe. I will carry you, now.”_

He bent and gently lifted her, then nodded at the man Sken Der, who turned and led them away. The gentle swaying motion lulled Nagini back to sleep, even as she wondered what fate awaited her.

***

Nagini’s time with Skender stretched first into weeks, then months, then years. He was a wizard - she had been both amazed and fearful to discover witchcraft was not restricted to the _Dukun_ that lived in the villages not yet colonised, or travelled the island. 

Skender owned the Circus Arcanus, a travelling troupe showcasing what he called his _“wondrous and weird display of magical oddities and attractions.”_ He owned all manner of creatures, and Nagini became a servant, required to feed Skender’s attractions and clean cages. She did her best to hide her curse, but inevitably, her serpentine sister eventually reared her head - this time, not because of an attack, but brought on by her first menses.

Instead of trying to harm her, however, Skender became ecstatic. “My dear, you are a _Maledictus!”_ he told her. “The customers will pay a great deal of coin to see you!”

So it was that Nagini became a different kind of slave. Instead of caring for Skender’s oddities, she became one. It was true enough that she was given better food, comfortable, clean clothes, and soft straw to sleep in, but a slave she remained. _At least I know what I am, now,_ she would tell herself at night, when the crowds had gone and she was locked in her cage. _I am a Maledictus, able to transform due to a blood curse. I am powerful. One day, I will be free._

***  
  


It was not until the strange, pale boy stood in front of her one day that Nagini truly yearned to escape. They were in Paris, and Skender’s circus was attracting large numbers. She had been forced to perform several times that day, and was tired.

When the boy appeared, she immediately sensed he was different. Not a mundane, non-magical human; not strictly a wizard, although she thought he might be capable of performing magic. She was certain he wasn’t a magical creature, either. He was… an oddity. There was something inside him, something powerful which he couldn’t strictly control. Nagini could well understand this. Over the years, she had gained some control over her serpentine sister, but it was tenuous.

After staring in at her for some time, the boy whispered, “You’re far too beautiful to be caged. Run away with me. I’ll help you escape.”

So she did, and he did. During her next show, she attacked Skender, and the boy used his strange powers to create a distraction. Among the panic and chaos, they fled.

The boy - Credence - led her about the city, where they faced more foes and dangers. He introduced her to a strange man named Gellert Grindelwald, who seemed to be preparing for a battle. He too, was powerful, but ruthless and consumed by what she sensed was a sickness of the mind. She was afraid of him, and did not dare argue when he bid her to accompany Credence on a task, but recognised the evil that lay within his mismatched eyes.

At one point during the mission, confused and overwhelmed, she became sure Credence was really Corvus Lestrange, a dead child come to life. Believing he was treacherous and wished to harm her, she very nearly killed him. Surely would have, if not for the intervention of a handsome man with kind, smiling eyes. This man called himself Newt Scamander, and said he was a Magizoologist. Accustomed to distrusting men, Nagini was unsettled to find herself wanting to put her faith in him.

“This Grindelwald is dangerous. We have to stop him, Newt!” she insisted. “Please, help me save Credence. He wishes to join Grindelwald’s fight, but if he does, he will be doomed, I know he will!”

“I’ll do my best,” Newt promised.

However, Nagini’s hopes were dashed when, despite her pleadings and the efforts of Newt and his friends, Grindelwald succeeded in calling Credence to him. As well as gathering followers, the dark wizard killed many others with his blue fire. She could only watch, frozen in horror, as the flames roared towards her. 

***  
  


Nagini did not perish that night, as she had expected. Instead, she eventually found herself on the grounds of a huge castle. Newt told her it was called Hogwarts, and that it was a school for magical children. There, she was introduced to a man called Albus Dumbledore.

Although he seemed affable, Nagini could not bring herself to entirely trust Newt’s friend. There was something about him. Something...ruthless. Cold. Determined. He was outwardly welcoming and polite, but all the same, she could sense that below his exterior, he was constantly watchful. Calculating, assessing. This was a man who was prepared to do whatever it took to achieve his aims, and, in Nagini’s private opinion, that made him dangerous to everyone around him.

Dumbledore and Grindelwald had been close friends once, it appeared, but they had fallen out over Grindelwald’s extreme views. Then Dumbledore’s sister had died during a duel between the two men, and from that moment, Newt explained, they were enemies. Now, Dumbledore was determined to stop Grindelwald once and for all, and he needed their help. Despite her misgivings about the man, Nagini agreed to join them.

The next several years bled into each other as war raged; first within the wizarding world, and eventually in the non-magical world as well, as another madman rose to power. The non-magicals had terrifying, devastating weapons that decimated entire cities and poisoned the very air; while other weapons spat fire and metal, tearing through soft bodies as though they were made of silk.

Every night, Nagini would thank whichever deities who might be listening for allowing her to live another day; and prayed they would grant her the gift of life the following day, as well. It was getting harder and harder to fight - her curse grew stronger every year, and her serpentine sister was slowly but surely gaining control over their joined existence.

Finally, after much bloodshed and with the stench of death and misery pervading the land, both the wizarding and non-magical wars ended. Both madmen were defeated - Grindelwald by Dumbledore following a devastating duel; and the non-magical man named Hitler by the world’s armies.

With the mission ended, Nagini did not know where to go or what to do. She was afraid for her existence and autonomy, for her serpentine sister now appeared almost daily, and Nagini could no longer hold off the change or even always sense it was coming. She eventually decided, after many agonising days of debating her options, that it would be safest for everyone if she left civilization.

“I can take care of you, Nagini,” Newt insisted, most distraught at the thought of being parted from her. “You can live in my suitcase, I’ll create a beautiful home for you. Please don’t exile yourself!”

She smiled and reached out to touch his cheek, feeling a single tear slip down her face. “Newt, I must. It is the only way. You have been a dear, dear friend to me, but my sister is too dangerous. I can’t control her any more, and I won’t have your life, or that of any other living creature, on my conscience.”

She looked around carefully, to make sure they were alone. “Besides, your friend Dumbledore has been watching me closely. You may believe in me, but he does not. He views me as a liability.”

Newt tried to protest, shaking his head. “Nagini, Albus would never hurt you! He protects—”

“He protects his interests,” Nagini interrupted. “And although he is unlikely to attack me directly, a man such as he always finds a way.” She would not hear another word, and, after bidding a sad farewell to Newt and the others, Nagini struck out on her own, determined to live out her days in a secluded place far from any other company.

***

By the time the creature calling himself Voldemort came across her in the deepest forests of Albania, Nagini’s curse had completely overtaken her, and she was permanently in serpent form. Very little of her human side remained, but the part that was there recoiled from the monstrous, evil figure. _Run, sister! Flee! He will only bring about our ruination!_

But her serpentine sister would not heed the warning. Instead, she first befriended Voldemort, then allowed him to corrupt her further by placing a part of his fractured, toxic soul inside their body. He said Nagini was now a _Horcrux,_ and special. “We will rule the world, my dear Nagini,” Voldemort said. “No longer will you be forced to dine on rats and other small, insignificant creatures. You will feast on my enemies, and on any other creature you wish.”

Trapped and forced to bear witness, the human fragment of Nagini watched with growing despair as, over the years, Voldemort became more powerful, more deranged. Had she really thought Grindelwald and Hitler were the most terrible things to be unleashed on the world? _How wrong I was,_ she lamented. _Perhaps it would have been better if Grindelwald’s fire had consumed me that day. Then I would not be forced to be a part of these horrors._

Under Voldemort’s influence, her serpentine sister killed many humans, and magical creatures as well. She had become just as deranged, just as bloodthirsty and cruel as her man and master. Many times, Nagini wished for death, but Voldemort guarded her jealously, going to great lengths to protect her - or rather, the serpent.

It was not until Voldemort finally returned to Hogwarts that Nagini could truly begin to hope for release. Everyone in opposition to the dark wizard saw her as a target, and none so much as the boy Voldemort was so determined to kill - Harry Potter.

Potter was a Parseltounge, and Nagini could feel his thoughts vibrating through the earth. He knew what she was. He knew what he had to do. But because _she_ knew, her serpentine sister knew, as did Voldemort. Her hopes grew and grew as the battle raged on and fighters fell, until they were suddenly dashed as abruptly as a dash of water extinguishing a small flame.

Potter fell before Voldemort’s wand. The human part of Nagini wept. Now, all was lost.

Together, Volemort’s band returned to the castle, bearing Potter’s body. Voldemort was gloating; triumphant. Challenges were issued and rejected, promises and threats made. After a brief standoff, the battle resumed. Voldemort, distracted and no longer believing he needed to protect her serpentine sister, did not notice as she slithered away. Nagini knew the serpent intended to unleash an attack of her own, now that she considered herself to be safe from harm. 

The serpent was focused on her prey, so did not notice as a boy holding an old and battered hat withdrew something from the hat’s depths. She didn’t notice it glimmer in the half light. But the human part of Nagini that remained knew what was about to happen. 

Her serpentine sister only realised the danger at the last moment, and reared up to attack, but it was too late.

The blade parted the air, singing softly, and passed through her body just below the head. The sound it made was barely more than a whisper.

As darkness and oblivion descended, Nagini thanked the deities for granting her wish. At last, she was free.


End file.
